Thanks for the info guys. Thinking now about raising up the leather to expose the bottom of the knob and maybe giving it shot of wd40 before the serious pulling starts.
While I am in there I may put in one of these from Carl,
http://www.928motorsports.com/parts/shifterballcup.php
WSM says it goes back on with glycerin and gasoline, but doesn't say much on the how to get it off.